Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe has said the Magpies’ recruitment hopes for the last few days of the window are over – but hinted thoughts are now moving towards the summer. Although while many fans dream of a big transfer war chest coming Howe’s way, he was cautious about talk of a major spending spree come the end of the season.
Despite selling Miguel Almiron to Atlanta United for £11 million, Howe will not be handed the funds to lure in a new right winger this window but admitted it was a position on his shortlist moving forward. As Newcastle scour the free transfer market, with United talking to Malaga star Antonio Cordero’s agent over a summer deal, Howe could not confirm that he would automatically be handed cash to spend in the summer window and that the Almiron deal had been forced on him due to the PSR rulebook.
When asked about summer spending, Howe told Chronicle Live: “We haven’t sat down and had those conversations. And don’t have a clear picture of our financial situation.
“Obviously, we did (have conversations) in this window. But everything has been quite short-term, quite rightly because our focus is what we can and can’t do in this window, obviously the summer window we will look differently, no doubt. The sort of details of that I have no idea at the moment.”
Howe stated that the Almiron deal had to be pushed through this month, seemingly in reference to the avoidance of PSR sanctions further down the line. Indeed, last June, Elliot Anderson and Yankuba Minteh had to be sold to steer clear of points deductions from the Premier League.
Howe, speaking at his press conference, said: “We knew this window, barring something huge happening that we didn’t expect, would be a window we wouldn’t recruit in. I said that right from the outset, and despite being linked with numerous players, that is still the case. We are not actively looking to bring players in.
“But hopefully the squad is in a decent place and if we can get Callum Wilson and Harvey Barnes back, fit and firing within a few weeks the squad will look stronger.
“People are negotiating behind the scenes. I think it’s a deal that suits the club and suits Miggy. I think it’s a good time for him to get a fresh challenge and a club obviously that he knows very well, he’s got a great relationship with, so I think he goes into very good hands the other way.
“But as I’ve said many times this month, it’s a deal that we needed to do. We’re a little bit short in respect of that position and attacking areas currently where Harvey’s injured and Callum’s injured. We’re certainly stretched in that area – but it’s a deal that we needed to do.”
Asked to clarify why Almiron had to be sold – despite nobody coming in to replace him, Howe went on: “PSR-related, that’s why we needed to do it.”
With a host of other players linked with the exit door, including Lloyd Kelly and Sean Longstaff, Howe suggested nobody would be sold. He said: “As we stand now, currently I don’t [see anymore leaving] – but things can change. As we stand at the moment, I expect the squad to remain the same.”
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